I really don't know what needs we have. Some might develop as the off season gets under way and we trade or release or don't resign players. But right now there are no huge needs. I'll trust whoever this FO picks. However I'd love to get either Hopkins from Clemson or Allen from Cal to supplement the receiver corps. I'm undecided on which one I want more but with the depth of this year's WR class there should be a decent chance one of them if not both are available at #32 for us.

If both were sitting there, which would you prefer and why?

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MontanaHawk05 wrote:Just pick a good football player this time, Pete. I'm tired of the Carpenter-Irvin cuteness. It's a damn good thing you're so epic in Rounds 3-5.

In fairness, Seattle's 1st round draft options really sucked in 2011. Carpenter has a good chance to be a solid long term starter. If it were my pick to make, I would have taken Ingram or Kaepernick. Ingram wouldn't have added much more value than Carpenter has, and Kaepernick would be a likely backup right now.

I liked the Irvin pick. Nothing cute about it. He was the best pass rusher in the draft. Honestly, I think if Pete hadn't been so extremely conservative with blitzes this year Irvin probably ends up with 10+ sacks.

As far as this topic, hell yeah, Hopkins! But you are right Montana, would it surprise anyone if Seattle took a "reach" player in round 1? Hell no.

That said, is Allen really a "reach" player? Most big boards have him going in the mid-1st round (much higher than Hopkins). I don't agree with that ranking, but the point is that if the draft were tomorrow, Allen would be viewed as the better value than Hopkins.

A more accurate 1st round reach would look more like Markus Wheaton, Sharrif Floyd, etc.

What about Tavon Austin? I know his small 5'7 172lbs but man that guy is ridiculous. Using him on screens, creative packages out of the backfield, and eventually Leon will need a replacement and Austin is lethal. Is he worth a late 1st pick? A lot of scouting reports I've seen have him projected in that range. I'm not sure though, but I'd love to have any of the three. Austin, Hopkins, or Allen.

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MontanaHawk05 wrote:Just pick a good football player this time, Pete. I'm tired of the Carpenter-Irvin cuteness. It's a damn good thing you're so epic in Rounds 3-5.

In fairness, Seattle's 1st round draft options really sucked in 2011. Carpenter has a good chance to be a solid long term starter. If it were my pick to make, I would have taken Ingram or Kaepernick. Ingram wouldn't have added much more value than Carpenter has, and Kaepernick would be a likely backup right now.

I liked the Irvin pick. Nothing cute about it. He was the best pass rusher in the draft. Honestly, I think if Pete hadn't been so extremely conservative with blitzes this year Irvin probably ends up with 10+ sacks.

As far as this topic, hell yeah, Hopkins! But you are right Montana, would it surprise anyone if Seattle took a "reach" player in round 1? Hell no.

That said, is Allen really a "reach" player? Most big boards have him going in the mid-1st round (much higher than Hopkins). I don't agree with that ranking, but the point is that if the draft were tomorrow, Allen would be viewed as the better value than Hopkins.

A more accurate 1st round reach would look more like Markus Wheaton, Sharrif Floyd, etc.

Agreed. His first-round picks have been fine given the setup. Irvin had 8 sacks this year and, yes, has been inconsistent but flashed more potential than I saw out of pass-rushers we've drafted in the past (Tapp and Jackson, for instance). He's a good player who could become a huge asset for us. Carpenter has played very well this year when on the field but has struggled with injuries. He could still be a good guard for many years for us. And then obviously both Okung and Thomas have turned out. I trust these guys implicitly in the draft.

I'd have drafted Jimmy Smith... who's had a few injury issues but shown none of the reported pre-draft character concerns. I think he'd be a complete beast in this defense, a perfect fit. I appreciate that they zoned in on the offensive line that year to get the run going and I loved Carpenter at Alabama.

SeatownJay wrote:I wanted the team to draft Gabe Carimi instead of Carpenter, but he's been just as injured as Carp has.

Yeah, I was a little bummed about that too. That pick hasn't worked out either, though. It kind of reminds me of the Curry pick, where he busted out but so did so many of the people I would have preferred around him.

So much of injuries is bad luck that I really still think people like Carp and Thurmond will work out. Better to be good but injury prone than bad and healthy.

Love Hopkins would be a great pick, but honestly trade up for Star or Sutton if he comes out, that puts us as #1 D for many years to come period. And then we can draft A LB to replace Hill Wheaton OSU, Brandon Kaufman EWU and Ryan Otten TE SJ State And some Tackles to check out as Guards or Tackles if they prove they can play. To me the way to dominate the NFL is simply have the best lineman.

MontanaHawk05 wrote:They sucked in 2009, too, and nobody let Ruskell off the hook for it.

They DON'T suck this year.

Oh dude, don't even go there. Ignoring the fact that you made a strawman fallacy here (I'll run with it anyway), Ruskell's options at #4 in 2009 were vastly superior to what JS had at #25. Crabtree had 1100 yards and 9 TDs this year. Remember too- Cleveland traded down the very next pick with the Jets for Sanchez, so unlike JS in 2011 you can probably assume Seattle had offers for their pick that year (the late 1st that year was pretty loaded btw). Tim Ruskell had tons of great options, and he made a terrible decision despite them.

When Seattle had good options in 2010, they hit it out of the park. I liked the Irvin pick in 2012 and based on what we know now it was not a reach. I think the idea that they flub the first round is a myth.

Plus who knows, maybe Carpenter becomes a great player? O-lineman are known to start slow. Based on how he looked at Alabama, I think he could be a very good player if he can just get in shape and/or stay healthy.

The Yugoslavian wrote:What about Tavon Austin? I know his small 5'7 172lbs but man that guy is ridiculous. Using him on screens, creative packages out of the backfield, and eventually Leon will need a replacement and Austin is lethal. Is he worth a late 1st pick? A lot of scouting reports I've seen have him projected in that range. I'm not sure though, but I'd love to have any of the three. Austin, Hopkins, or Allen.

I would be up for Austin. He's a little smaller, but I could see him being as valuable to this team as Percy Harvin is to the Vikings.

Thanks for getting the thread back on topic Sean. He reminds me of a Percy Harvin/DeSean Jackson mix. I don't think he is quite the deep bomb that that Jackson is, and maybe that is just because of the way WVU used him, but his impact if used creatively should be huge on a team. If Bevell is creative enough is a different question. Any way you slice it we are in prime position this year to have the LUXURY of taking an elite play maker without feeling forced to take a less sexy position that is an urgent need. April should be alot of fun! !

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MontanaHawk05 wrote:They sucked in 2009, too, and nobody let Ruskell off the hook for it.

They DON'T suck this year.

Oh dude, don't even go there. Ignoring the fact that you made a strawman fallacy here (I'll run with it anyway), Ruskell's options at #4 in 2009 were vastly superior to what JS had at #25. Crabtree had 1100 yards and 9 TDs this year. Remember too- Cleveland traded down the very next pick with the Jets for Sanchez, so unlike JS in 2011 you can probably assume Seattle had offers for their pick that year (the late 1st that year was pretty loaded btw). Tim Ruskell had tons of great options, and he made a terrible decision despite them.

When Seattle had good options in 2010, they hit it out of the park. I liked the Irvin pick in 2012 and based on what we know now it was not a reach. I think the idea that they flub the first round is a myth.

Plus who knows, maybe Carpenter becomes a great player? O-lineman are known to start slow. Based on how he looked at Alabama, I think he could be a very good player if he can just get in shape and/or stay healthy.

I get warm feelings thinking about Hopkins with the rest of our receiving corps...

Just think..

1: Can be Day 1 starter at any of the WR positions

2: Able to fill in anywhere on the field = WR depth instantly improved. (Unfortunately this would probably spell the end for Obo, who I think would be on team as a do-it-all type WR at present, although a bit of savvy backup is welcome)

3: Plays (in a very basic guesstimation) as a cross between Tate and Rice - good hand catcher, deceptively fast, knows how to get open.

4: Exceptional work ethic and attitude - will slot in with Wilson perfectly. Can just see them pushing each other better and better.

5: Mr Dependable.

We've been relatively lucky with our skill positions this year in that they've kept healthy for the most part. If Rice or Tate went down I believe Hopkins could step up and we could rely on him much the same as we can Doug Baldwin in a pinch. If and when all 4 of them could go at once - we'd be able to sub in packages to keep them fresh and use a lot of different looks. Our offensive weapons would start to look like Green Bays, no real MEGA receiver - just many good to great ones.

Wilson likes to spread the ball around a lot - he doesn't care about who he's throwing it to, he thinks more about *where* he's throwing it. I.e. "who's open?" "Who gives me the best option to help the team right now?" For this - we need another receiver who is going to get open consistently and take his chances when given the ball. I like no other WR in this draft (or Free Agency) than Hopkins for this.

I would prefer Hopkins over Allen. Hopkins is sneaky fast and he seems to be a crafty WR when it comes to getting open. There are a handful of other WR's that I would rather select in the draft, but I would not be disappointed if we drafted Hopkins.

Carpenter stoned Smith when we played the Niners. He is an overbuy at guard in the first round, but he just may be a good pick yet. Orakpo or Crabtree was still the right pick at the 4 spot. Or having the stones to take Sanchez and then extort the Jets.

I have Hopkins a lot higher, but I appreciate this comment. I think Allen is my 2nd favorite WR right now. His YAC ability is basically as good as Patterson's (albeit with less sex appeal). And he doesn't come with the question marks.

Hopkins in round 1, however the Seahawks could go another direction in round 1 (TE-Ertz, DT=?)leaving the WR needs to fall to round 2 and beyond, also Hopkins could go much higher than most envision. Woods, Austin, T. Williams, Patterson, Allen & Hunter will probably be off the board before the late 50's pick.

If they can't grab Hopkins for what ever reason, of all the possibilities that may be available with a 2-nd round pick in the high 50's---I'd prefer picking Da'Rick Rogers or maybe Quinton Patton there. I like Marcus Wheaton, however, he could be gone also by the late 50's and I think he's mostly a slot receiver I think (?) and we have Baldwin there & he's shown he is capable of big things.

I have Hopkins a lot higher, but I appreciate this comment. I think Allen is my 2nd favorite WR right now. His YAC ability is basically as good as Patterson's (albeit with less sex appeal). And he doesn't come with the question marks.

To me, Allen is more beastly, and Hopkins is more hands pretty. I would take either, but I see Allen scaring defenses a lot more, which benefits everyone else.